Dr. Blade Nzimande, Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Innovation, claims that his department is taking steps to address the gender imbalance in this industry.
Despite the large proportion of male students, Nzimande said that a number of women graduates are surpassing their male counterparts in the area of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
The Post School Education and Training (PSET) Macro Indicators Trends study states as much (2010 to 2019).
According to Nzimande, this tendency is also seen at the PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) level, where the graduation gap is closing.
According to HEMIS (Higher Education Management Information System) statistics, there were 1 182 women with PhDs from public institutions in 2016 and 1 540 in 2020, which represents 42% and 43% of all PhD graduates, respectively.
According to Nzimande, “Women PhD graduates in Science, Engineering, and Technology (SET) accounted for between 40% and 43% of the total SET PhD graduates, consistent with the general trends in PhD graduation and enrollment.
He said that it is expected that more women would enrol in and graduate from PhD programmes overall as a result of the continued assistance measures being implemented.
The PSET Macro Indicators Trends study also notes that women usually have easier access to the PSET system than men do, with the PSET system’s Gender Parity Index (GPI) ranking among the highest in the world.
According to Nzimande, female students continue to outnumber male students in all important academic subjects, including as Business and Management, Education, and the Humanities.
“The DSI-NRF [Department of Science and Innovation-National Research Foundation] Postgraduate Funding Policy, which replaced the Ministerial Guidelines on Achieving Equity in the Distribution of Bursaries and Scholarships (2013), set an equity target of at least 55% of female postgraduate students receiving support.
“While there was some lag at the PhD level, the 55% female objective at the Honours and Masters levels was quickly attained once the policy was enacted. However, the goal of 55% funded female PhD students was attained for the first time in 2020 and again in 2021, according to Nzimande.
flagship grant programmes for research
The Thuthuka Programme and the Black Academics Advancement Programme (BAAP), two flagship research grants programmes that the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) implements through the National Research Foundation (NRF), support young and emerging researchers who hold academic or research positions at South African public universities and public research institutions.
“Over the previous three years, 1 173 awards for young researchers have been financed by the Thuthuka Programme and BAAP for South African nationals and permanent residents.
For fostering the involvement of young women in STEM disciplines, Nzimande said that “increasing the number of black women in research and academia is vital.” – SAnews.gov.za